Pumpkin Doughnut Muffins

A doughnut met a muffin and they fell madly in love with each other. Then came the babies. Doughnut muffin babies. Call it fate.

These pumpkin muffins have crusty outsides from a coating of melted butter and cinnamon sugar causing them to taste exactly like cake doughnuts. Or is it donut?

They have tender cakey insides with a sweet crunchy topping that melts in your mouth.

They have lots of pumpkin flavor with cinnamon spiking the batter too.

If you never had a doughnut muffin before you are seriously missing out. They’re far more delicious than they sound. There’s something about biting through that crackly sugar-coating into the soft centers that a traditional doughnut doesn’t have.

Don’t skimp on the butter or the cinnamon sugar. For the best results make sure they are well coated with both.

These are best eaten the day you make them or within 24 hours. After that the crispy outer coating absorbs moisture from the muffins and gets soft losing the very quality that makes them so special. If this does happen you can try dipping them again into the cinnamon sugar.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour one 12 standard muffin pan and one 6 standard muffin pan or line with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. In a separate small bowl whisk together buttermilk, pumpkin and vanilla.

In another large bowl beat butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy 2-3 minutes on medium speed. Beat in eggs one at a time.

Scrap down the sides of the bowl. Add flour mixture in three additions alternating with two additions pumpkin mixture beating on low speed just until combined.

Spoon 1/3 cup batter into each muffin cup and bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a muffin comes out clean 24-26 minutes.

Meanwhile in a medium bowl whisk together sugar and cinnamon for coating.

Remove muffins from oven and cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes.

Remove one muffin at a time from pan and brush all over with butter then toss/roll coat in the sugar mixture until completely coated. Place on wire racks and cool completely. Best eaten within 24 hours.

Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice by Irene Pisano is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.